Ex-Mocs enjoy NFL debuts

Ex-Mocs enjoy NFL debuts

Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standouts Buster Skrine and Chris Harr played in their first NFL preseason games last weekend and each came away feeling good about the experience.

In the Kansas City Chiefs' 25-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Friday, Harr saw his first action in the second quarter and played the entire second half at right tackle.

"I did well in some aspects of the game, but there are other things that I've got to work on," Harr said. "It's definitely a process and I'm not there yet."

Skrine, a fifth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, saw action in the secondary and on special teams. The speedy cornerback had a 26-yard kickoff return in the first quarter and finished with a tackle and two passes defended. He was also flagged for pass interference.

"I did pretty good -- I did really good, actually," he said. "[My coaches] said I had a a really good game so it's a good start to my career."

On Friday, the Browns host the Detroit Lions and the Chiefs visit the Baltimore Ravens.

Mocs No. 21 in poll

The Sports Network released its preseason poll Monday and UTC was ranked No. 21. The Mocs play four of the top nine teams in the poll: No. 2 Appalachian State, No. 4 Georgia Southern, No. 8 Wofford and No. 9 Jacksonville State.

SoCon games on ESPN3

The Southern Conference announced Monday that it has signed a four-year extension with ESPN3.com to show a minimum of 45 football games per season. Included in the deal are the eight SoCon games that will air on PBS stations this season.

Eight men's regular-season basketball games, as well as the semifinals and championship games from the men's and women's SoCon tournaments will also be available on the website.

Contact John Frierson at jfrierson@timesfreepress.com or (423) 757-6268. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeatCTFP.